Best Alarm Clock Radio CD Players (UK 2019)

Unfortunately, there aren’t many quality products on the market that offer radio, a CD player and an alarm clock. However, there are a handful of good alarm clock radio CD players out there, which we have reviewed below.

Most of these products let you select the CD player as the alarm clock, so you can wake up to a CD. Many also have sleep timers, which will switch the radio off after a programmed amount of time. This is useful if you like to listen to the radio or CDs while drifting off to sleep.

Best Alarm Clock Radio CD Players (UK 2019)

1. John Lewis Cello

The Cello from John Lewis is the only radio on this list to offer internet radio as well as FM and DAB.

By connecting the radio to the internet, you can drastically increase your choice of stations from less than 100 on FM and DAB to over 20,000 stations from around the world.

You can use the internet radio as an alarm, so you could choose to wake up to an obscure Bolivian radio station if you want to!

You can also select the CD player as the alarm source, so you can wake up to your favourite album.

Features

FM/DAB/DAB+/Internet radio

Dual alarm clock with snooze

CD player

Sleep timer

Bluetooth

USB port

Aux in

Adjustable screen brightness

Headphone jack on front of unit

Dimensions: 35 x 21.5 x 12.4 cm

Pros

Features internet radio

Stylish design

More affordable than premium brand options

Good price given its features

Available with a 2-year guarantee

CD player can be used as the alarm source

Cons

Internet radio can cut out if the connection isn’t strong enough

Summary

The John Lewis Cello offers a lot for the price. It’s cheaper than similar radios from Pure and Roberts, yet still made to a high standard.

The best thing about it is that it offers internet radio, so you have a huge choice of things to listen to and if the FM and DAB reception where you live is poor you can listen to the radio online instead.

3. Majority Homerton Internet Radio & Music System

The Homerton is a very affordable DAB/internet radio CD player from budget British brand Majority that comes with a dual alarm clock. It offers an impressive list of features for the price including Bluetooth and a remote control.

Features

FM/DAB/DAB+/Internet radio

CD player

Dual alarm clock

Bluetooth

Headphone jack

Remote control

USB port for charging a device or playing MP3s

Colour screen

Option to use your phone as a remote via the AirMusic app

Dimensions: 24 x 21 x 14.7 cmWeight: 2.18 kg

Pros

Great value for money

More features than other Majority CD players

Easy to set up (including internet radio)

Good sound quality

Stylish design

Cons

CD can’t be used as the alarm

Display can’t be turned off fully (could be too bright at night)

CD player can be unreliable

Summary

The Homerton is a stylishly designed product that offers great value for money and combines a lot of features into one package.

You can choose to wake up to the radio, a beeping sound or music from a USB stick, but not the CD player.

This product generally works well, but can be unreliable when compared to more expensive alternatives.

4. Pure Evoke C-D4

The Evoke C-D4 is a relatively high-end product from established British digital radio brand Pure.

It’s a compact DAB radio CD player with the speaker on the top of the unit rather than on the front with the controls. This helps keep the radio nice and small—it’s not much wider than a CD.

This radio has a dual alarm clock, so you can set separate alarms for weekdays and weekends, or set two alarms for the same day in case you just sleep through the first alarm!

The Evoke C-D4 comes in a choice of finishes: Walnut, Siena Black or Grey Oak.

Features

FM/DAB/DAB+ radio

CD/CD-R/CD-RW player

Dual alarm clock (Buzzer/radio/CD player)

Sleep timer (15-60 minutes)

Default 10-minute alarm snooze (can be adjusted)

Adjustable display brightness

Bluetooth

Remote control

Aux-in

Headphone jack

Saves 20 preset stations

Adjustable treble and bass

Dimensions: 22.3 x 21 x 13.6 cmWeight: 2.8 kg

Pros

Comes with a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty

Attractive wood-effect design

Display can be dimmed

Alarm settings are versatile

Cons

CD player can be temperamental

Setting alarms can be fiddly

Relatively expensive

Summary

The Pure Evoke C-D4 is a well-designed product that offers a lot of flexibility and is a good size for a bedside table. The dual alarm clock, snooze and sleep functions and ability to dim the display at night make it a great clock radio.

6. Pure Chronos Series 2

The Pure Chronos Series 2 is a mid-priced radio CD player from Pure with an interesting triangular design. It lets you set up to four separate alarms, so you can wake up at different times on different days of the week.

Unlike on some CD alarm clocks, you can actually select the CD player as the audio source for the alarm.

Features

FM/DAB/DAB+ radio

CD player

Sets 4 separate alarms

Sleep timer

Auto-dimming screen

Headphone jack

USB port for charging devices

Remote control

Aux input

Dimensions: 19.5 x 18.5 x 12.5 cm

Pros

CD player can be used as the alarm source

Display dims low enough for sleeping

Good sound quality for such a small unit

Useful remote control

Lots of features

Cons

Sometimes on/off button sticks

Buttons are small and have small writing

CD player can be noisy

CD sometimes skips

Setting alarms is quite fiddly

Summary

This product could be a good choice if you want to wake up to CDs as it’s one of the few products on the market that lets you use the CD player as an alarm. However, the CD player can be quite noisy and unreliable and is prone to skipping.

7. Roberts Sound 38

This radio CD player from Roberts is significantly cheaper than the Blutune 100 reviewed above. It doesn’t have Bluetooth and the design isn’t quite so appealing, but it offers decent value for money.

Features

FM/DAB radio

CD/CD-R/CD-RW player with bookmark feature (remembers your place)

Four alarms

Aux in

Headphone jack

Sleep timer (up to 90 minutes)

Dimensions: 16.8 x 13.8 x 13.2 cmWeight: 1.1 kg

Pros

Display can be dimmed very low

Features 4 alarms

Compact design—small enough for a bedside table

CD player can be used as the alarm source

Cons

Quite an old product (2012)

CD player can be unreliable

Summary

The Sound 38 is relatively cheap for a Roberts radio, but it’s a bit dated and isn’t as reliable as it could be. Many buyers have had issues with the CD player in particular.

One of the nice things about this product is that you can set four separate alarms, unlike most clock radios that only let you set one or two. The CD bookmark feature is nice too, especially if you listen to audiobooks with long tracks, as it means you don’t need to scroll through to find where you left off.

What to Look for in an Alarm Clock Radio CD Player

Here are some features to look for when choosing an alarm clock radio CD player:

Bluetooth – Bluetooth will let you use the radio as a wireless speaker to play music, online radio or podcasts from your phone.

Dual alarm clock – With a dual alarm clock you can set two independent alarms. You could use this feature to set one alarm for weekdays and another for weekends when you want to have a lie-in. Some radios let you set more than two alarms—the Roberts Sound 38 lets you set four.

Internet radio – Internet radio gives you a lot more choice than just FM and DAB. You could use internet radio to learn another language or listen to niche music stations. It’s also a good feature to have if your FM and DAB reception is poor.

Sleep timer – A sleep timer lets you program the radio to switch itself off after a set period of time. You can usually choose the time from between roughly 10 and 90 minutes. This is useful if you like to drift off to sleep with the radio on, as it means the radio won’t stay on all night wasting electricity and potentially disturbing other people in the house.

Snooze feature – Many of us find it hard to get up in the morning, so a snooze feature is very useful as it lets you spend a few more minutes in bed before the alarm reminds you to get up. Unfortunately, some clock radios don’t have a snooze function, or it is fiddly to use.

Alternatives to Using an Alarm Clock Radio CD Player

There are a few more modern alternatives to using a radio CD player that you might want to consider. One is using the Amazon Echo as an alarm clock.

The Amazon Echo lets you use Alexa to set an alarm clock and wake up to a song, artist or radio station. You can just say, “Alexa, wake me up to [song name] by [artist] at [time]”, and it will wake you up to that song by streaming it via a service such as Amazon Music or Spotify.

The Amazon Echo Dot (shown above) is cheap and setting an alarm via Alexa is very quick and easy.

Another option is to use your phone in conjunction with a streaming service like Spotify. You can get an Android app that allows you to use Spotify as an alarm clock. This would allow you to wake up to a particular song, album or artist.

Conclusion

If we had to pick just one of these alarm clock radio CD players to recommend it would be the John Lewis Cello because it looks fantastic, sound great and offers an impressive list of features for the price, including internet radio. It also lets you use the CD player as the alarm source, so you can wake up to a CD.